ENVIRONMENTAL SELF-STUDY

CHAPTER THREE: AWARENESS & EDUCATION

 

PART ONE: CAMPUS PROCUREMENT POLICIES

Overview

It is becoming increasingly important to take into consideration the environmental impact of purchasing policies in addition to the commonplace solid waste recycling that has come to the forefront in the Nineties. There are two primary areas that can be greatly impacted by responsible purchasing: ephemeral (short-lived) products and semi-permanent fixtures.

Ephemeral Products

Paper products which constitute a majority of the solid ephemeral products in the marketplace resulted in a total of 40 million tons in the United States in 1992. The paper industry ranks third in U.S. energy use. The paper industry discharges over 900,000 tons of toxic pollutants in waste water to rivers each year. Buying recycled paper products or paper manufactured without the use of chlorine bleaching agents offers important environmental benefits. Every ton of recycled paper produces sixty pounds less chemical pollutants, saves seventeen trees and saves enough energy to heat and air condition an average home for six months. Currently, the cost of products containing post-consumer material is approximately the same as their virgin-material counterparts. As the products become more readily used, the prices are certain to drop and the products will become that much more desirable.

Semi-Permanent Fixtures

The need for energy efficient fixtures is becoming increasingly apparent. Not only can they reduce energy use and demand on natural resources, but provide a significant financial benefit. It is important to look at the ongoing energy conservation and fiscal savings of replacement fixtures and processes instead of the initial cost alone. For example, the cost of a compact fluorescent bulb is approximately $15.00, which may seem very steep at first glance compared to a typical $1.00 incandescent bulb. However, the total price (including initial and energy costs) over 10,000 hours for an incandescent bulb (actually TEN bulbs) is $91.00 while a single compact fluorescent total cost is only $36.60. A university installing 1,000 20-watt CFL bulbs in place of the equivalent 75-watt incandescent bulbs saves the equivalent of 414,000 pounds of coal and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 660,000 pounds over the lifetime of the CFLs. Electronic ballasts used in standard fluorescent lighting and CFLs perform as well as magnetically ballasted fluorescent lighting, but do not contain radioactive material.

Present Situation

Americans use more than 5 billion gallons of water annually and more than 3 billion gallons to shower. By replacing conventional fixtures with water-efficient faucets, showerheads, and toilets, we can reduce daily water consumption by 35%. By installing efficient faucets or aerators, a university could save over $26,000 annually on water, sewer and energy bills for every 1,000 students. --Campus Green Buying Guide

Many departments including physical plant and the College Store are aware of these green purchasing issues and have already acted on many of them. (See Utilities) The number of Schools and Departments committing to using unbleached recycled paper is growing rapidly as the word spreads across campus that there is an environmentally preferable paper available. The truth is that no department or office has turned down the opportunity to use an unbleached recycled paper, so long as it performs as well as its nonrecycled, white counterpart. In some cases, it may be necessary to sway the masses into the understanding of responsible purchasing through education. Since the purchasing of many of these items such as paper are handled at both campus-wide and department levels, a large amount of information dissemination will be needed to relay the environmental factors and benefits to buying green and how it can help both the College and the environment.

Recycled Paper Information

• Why should we use recycled paper?
  Recycled paper is the end result of everyone's recycling efforts. By using recycled paper, we are "closing the loop" on recycling. If we do not choose to use recycled products, we are not really recycling. By using recycled paper, we can also help to reduce water and air pollution, save natural habitats, and preserve our limited landfill space by simply not sending the paper there.
  
• Are all recycled papers the same?
  No they are not! There are many different grades of recycled paper. The important thing to look for is the "post-consumer content," (PSC). The PSC is the amount of waste that has actually been used by people and has gone through the recycling process to be made into a new product. The other recycled content is "pre-consumer waste." This is merely waste generated in the paper making factory that has not actually gone through the recycling process. So it is important to have a recycled paper with the highest post-consumer content possible.
  
• Isn't recycled paper more expensive?
  Not any more! As more and more people realize the benefits of using recycled paper, the demand for it has risen. With the increase in demand, the price of recycled paper has fallen lower than that of the white paper we are using currently. Now we can save the environment and money.
  
• Will recycled paper work in regular copiers and laser printers?
  The biggest misconception concerning recycled paper is that it will jam in our photo copiers and printers. That misconception was formed over 20 years ago when the recycled paper industry was in its infancy. Paper technology has come a very long way since then, and it has enabled the industry to produced recycled papers that perform equally as well as their nonrecycled counterparts. In selecting a recycled paper for campus use, it is important to choose one that has been tested and certified, just as white papers are, for our copiers and printers.
  
• Why isn't the paper white?
  The recycled paper with its eye easing off-white color is produced in a far more environmentally friendly way compared to its bright white counterpart. The white paper we are familiar with is bleached creating DIOXINS, "a probable carcinogen," according to the EPA. These dioxins may not have a great impact on humans using the white paper, but the paper manufacturing plants are one of the nation's most destructive polluters as they dispose of their waste. Unbleached recycled paper is produced without the use of those devastating chemicals used to brighten the paper. Besides the loss of virgin or new trees and habitats, the dioxins that are dumped into the lakes, rivers and streams make the waters almost uninhabitable for the fish and other wildlife in them. Using recycled paper with its trademark off white color is a sign of a progressive, forward thinking individual or institution. The use of recycled paper advertises the individual's forward thinking towards the fact that we can not continue to live in a throw away society, and must as a whole, work towards a more sustainable future by closing the recycling loop with the use of recycled products.

Recommendations

• Develop campus-wide purchasing awareness which would identify environmentally preferable goods available for the campus to buy. This would include a minimum recycled content for some items such as paper products, and energy standards for computers and office equipment. This shared awareness would be supported by the Green Planning Committee in conjunction with the Office of the Vice President for Business and Finance, in addition to purchasing departments campus-wide.
  
• Increase the use and availability of the unbleached recycled paper on campus where feasible. Set goals for the campus to use recycled paper wherever possible. An example of a goal would be to have all in-house correspondence such as memos, flyers and tests, printed on 100% unbleached recycled. Another goal to set is to have at least 75% of our white paper usage converted to the unbleached recycled paper by June 30, 1997;
  
• Ensure that the unbleached recycled paper is certified to work in the photo copiers at least as well as our current paper;
• Continue to purchase the environmentally preferable products in the College Store such as the recycled folders, greeting cards, and binders, as well as the "Tree Free" writing paper;
  
• Continue to purchase the 100% recycled napkins in Dining Services;
  
• Investigate environmentally preferable paints and dyes for design courses;
  
• Have the President's Office draft a memo encouraging the use of the unbleached recycled paper campus-wide.

 

PART TWO: CAMPUS ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY

Overview

Heightened awareness and concern about the state of the environment among college students has created a new demand for environmental studies programs and curriculum as well as a demand by employers to hire workers trained in a range of environmental professions. In an age of environmental awareness, our institutions of higher education must prepare students to be effective problem-solvers. Education reform is critical to the transition to a sustainable future. The goals of this effort include the expanding the number of environmental studies programs and course offerings, promoting environmental literacy by training faculty to incorporate environmental themes into their disciplines, and establishing "Campus and the Biosphere" courses which advance environmental problem-solving through he study of campus resource flows. -- Campus Ecology

Environmental Science

The School of Science and Health established the Environmental Science major in 1995 with the first students entering the program in the fall of 1995. Environmental Science majors choose either a biology or chemistry option. Most coursework is similar for the two tracks, but advanced courses concentrate on either biological or chemical aspects of environmental analysis. There are approximately ten students enrolled in the program, including six returning students and four entering students. In following with the mission of the College, one goal of the major program in Environmental Science is to provide students the necessary training and broad-based education in the sciences for a successful career in a variety of areas of environmental science. Students will be well-prepared to either enter the job market upon graduation, or graduate school in areas such as ecology, environmental chemistry, or environmental education.

Current Environmental Course Offerings

• L121 Environmental Science
  Three hours of lecture and two hours of lab per week. Required of all freshman; includes three sections for students with strong science background ("accelerated" sections) Tentative syllabus for Fall attached.
  
• L364 Individual and the Environment
  Three hours of lecture per week. Offered to all students with sophomore status.
  
• L664 Human Rights
  Three hours of lecture per week. Offered to all students with sophomore status.
  
• S233 Ecology
  Three hours of lecture and three hours of lab per week. For science majors only; required for Environmental Science majors.
  
• S238 Biodiversity
  Three hours of lecture per week. Currently offered to science majors only.
  
• S422 Geology
  Three hours of lecture and three hours of lab per week. Currently offered to all students who have taken L121, Environmental Science.

Future Environmental Course Offerings

• S421 Environmental Analysis
  Three hours of lecture and three hours of lab per week. Will be developed for students majoring in Environmental Science with the chemistry option.
  
• S431 Environmental Chemistry
  Three hours of lecture and three hours of lab per week. Will be developed for students majoring in Environmental Science with the chemistry option.
  
• S441 Environmental Soil Analysis
  Three hours of lecture and three hours of lab per week. Will be developed for students majoring in Environmental Science.
  
• S443 Environmental Air and Water Analysis
  Three hours of lecture and three hours of lab per week. Will be developed for students majoring in Environmental Science.
  
• S446 Health and Safety as Related to the Environment
  Three hours of lecture and three hours of lab per week. Will be developed for students majoring in Environmental Science.
  

Environmental Science majors will take a 40-hour certification course with O.S.H.A. standards.

Cathy Bevier and Rob Flemming are developing a course in ecology and sustainability for architecture majors to be offered in Spring 1997.

Recommendations

• Integrate environmental issues and knowledge into courses in all disciplines (e.g., environmental economics for business majors, use of recycled materials for textile and fashion design majors, green architecture techniques for architecture and design majors, etc.);
  
• Include a section in the academic mission statement (e.g. "all students, upon graduating, will possess the, skills, and values to work towards an environmentally sustainable future");
  
• Develop a faculty training program and provide resources for appropriate faculty to integrate environmental issues and perspectives into their existing courses. Begin with faculty workshops at the beginning of each academic year with invited speakers such as Dr. Thomas Kelly, Director of the University Leaders for a Sustainable Future, or David Orr, Director of Environmental Studies at Oberlin College;
  
• Explain reasons behind environmentally based decisions to students, faculty, and staff;
  
• Become a signatory to the Talloires Declaration to show commitment to environmental literacy, and sponsor the training of interested faculty members at the Tufts Environmental Literacy Institute (TELI);
  
• Publicize ongoing environmental research by students and faculty;
  
• Reward environmental subject matter in research and teaching efforts. Share progress with other institutions, locally and nationally;
  
• Include information on careers in environmental areas at the Career Services Center (e.g. The Complete Guide to Environmental Careers, and Peterson's Job Opportunities in the Environment);
  
• Continue to add to and update the environmental materials available in the Library as well as the environmental information in the "Green Box" which is on reserve.

 

PART THREE: ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

Overview

Most universities and colleges research produces valuable advances in health and social welfare. However, as funding sources become more and more scarce, universities are increasingly relying on private corporations and large government agencies for research funding, and therefore producing more of the kind of research these sponsors want to see - including pesticide research funded by chemical corporations, nuclear power research funded by the Department of Defense. Continuing emphasis on developing profitable research can often supersede the environmental consequences of that research. However, careful scrutiny of university research objectives and funding sources can provide the basis for steering research activities in a more ethical and environmentally beneficial direction. --Campus Ecology

Present Situation

At Philadelphia College, research is being conducted in the following areas by the following professors:

• Dr. Catherine Bevier: Behavioral energetics, which integrates the fields of behavioral ecology and physiological ecology. Implemented soil and water research with Lou Brasten and Mervin Browning.
  
• Dr. Krishna Bhat: Synthetic organic chemistry.
  
• Dr. Charles Bock and Dr. Mendel Trachtman: Use computational chemistry and molecular genetics to study a wide range of chemical systems of interest in material science, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry and biochemistry.
  
• Dr. Michael Byler: Application of infrared and laser Runan spectroscopy to a broad range of scientific problems.
  
• Dr. Edward Dowden: Computer-aided titrations of known amino acids.
  
• Mr. Godlove Fonjweng: Dead plant matter in a marsh environment.
  
• Dr. Saul Lassoff: Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
  
• Dr. Mark Liff: The study of the structures of (bio) polymers by multidimensional liquid state and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).
  
• Dr. Norman Nemeroff: Synthesis of organic compounds.
  
• Dr. Les Sztandera: Artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic, neural networks, and intelligent hybrid systems.
  
• Dr. Rachel Wilson: Biochemical regulation of protein synthesis and activities in eucaryotic cells. Currently, characterizing two barley proteases and examining their activity against the seed storage protein substrates.

Recommendations

• Implement more research in the area of the environment. For example, synthesizing chemicals that are environmentally friendly;
  
• Conduct more campus based research; Place a higher emphasis on student teacher research activities especially in the environmental areas;
  
• Have environmental research become a mandatory requirement for graduation for all of the incoming Environmental Science majors;
  
• Allow for campus environmental research to be initiated and conducted by students in environmentally based courses for class credit.

 

END OF CHAPTER THREE

GO ON TO CONCLUSION

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Last updated: August 22, 1997